op philadelphia



S. L. WIEGAND.

BOTTLE STOPPER AND FASTENING.-

I illlilIHllll lmlllllllllflllilllfi UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE.

S. LLOYD \VIEGAND, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE GERMANIA BOTTLE STOPPER COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEW? JERSEY.

.BOTTLE STOPPER AND FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,623, dated March 20, 1888.

Application filed September 13, 1887. Serial No. 249,601. (ModeL) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, S. LLOYD WIEGAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Phila delphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Stoppers and Fastenings Therefor; and I do hereby declare the following to be a sulficiently full, clear, and exact description thereof as to en- IO able others skilled in the art to make and use the said invention.

This invention relates to bottles for storing and transporting effervescent beverages, and has for its object the tight closure of the bottle, the avoidance of any contamination from a deleterious substances in the stopper, the safe retention of fiuid when the bottle-lips are impaired by chipping, the greater facility of opening and closing the bottle, great dura 2o bility, and cheapness of construction. These several desiderata are attained by the improved construction hereinafter fully described,and shown in the drawings annexed.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows in front view the neck of a bottle with thisinvention applied; Fig. 2, the same in side view; Fig. 3, the same in central section in the plane indicated by the dotted line in w x in Fig. 1. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 show the several parts as detached, and Figs. 9, 11', and 12 show modifications in the form of parts.

The same letters of reference apply to the same parts in the several figures.

A represents the neck of abottle, having an internal taper at A,an external shoulder at A, and arounded lip or upper edge, A as shown in Fig. 3.

B is a stopper consisting of a central core, B, of elastic material, (cork being found in 0 practice to be preferable) secured upon a tapering screw, B provided with a shoulder or collar, B and a perforated upper extension or eye, B*. The central core, B, and collar B are covered with one or more layers of cloth,

4 5 B preferably of linen, bound above the collar B by a cord or thread, B, over which the outer edges of the cloth B are spread. A cap, 0, having a central opening, 0, fits upon the upper side of the cloth B and the eye B of the screw 13 extends upwardly through the central opening, 0, in the cap G.

the lever E turn.

The stopper B is saturated with melted paraffine. The cap 0 is concave on the under side and convex upon the upper side, and is pro vided with a downwardly-projecting rim, 0*, 5 at its circumference,of such diameter as to fit easily over the lip or upper edge, A, of the bottle-neck, serving when the bottle is closed to center the stopper B and to protect the lip A and stopper B from dirt or mechanical in- 6 jury. Upon opposite sides of the rim 0 are two projecting lugs, 0 between which the bail D fits loosely.

D is a bail passing loosely through the eye B, extending across the top of the cap 0, and thence bent downwardly between the lugs (J and secured pivotally at the lower ends to the pivots E of the lever E. D is an arm of the bail D. The arm D of the bail D acts asa stop. When the outer end of the locking-lever is raised to force the stopper into the mouth of the bottle, this stop D comes in contact with the part E of the lever and holds the upper part of the lever away from the side of the bottle, thereby permitting the finger or any suitable instrument to be inserted between the bottle and the end E" of the lever to open the bottle. When, in opening the bottle, the locking-lever has been moved some distance away from the mouth, thereby raising the stopper from its seat,the part E of the lever comes in contact with the stop D and carries the stopper off from over the mouth to the same side as that on which the operating-handle of the lever is situated.

E is a double lever, having fulcrum-eyes E, lower arms, E, attached pivotally at E to the bail D, upper arms, E united in the handle or bow E", and braces E extending from the lower arms, E ,to the handle or how E". The fulcrum-eyes E of the lever E turn upon the pivots F of the fulcrum F. The fulcrum F consists of a wire centrally bent in a bow, F, partially embracing the neck A of the bottle under the shoulder A having the ends recurved so as to form springs F and terminating in pivots F on which the fulcrumeyes E of The pivots F are susceptible of motion vertically by reason of the elasticity of the springs F. The fulcrum F is tied to the bottle-neck by a wire, G, applied by passing through the bends of the springs F and twisting the ends of the wire G together. By cutting and renewing the wire G, the fulcrum F, lever E, bail D, cap E, and stopper B, may without being separated, be removed unimpaired and applied to another bottle. I

The stopper B consisting ofmaterial having no deleterious properties and not susceptible of Chemical change in contact with beverages, n0 contamination of the beverage is possible. Being elastic and compressible and somewhat unctuous from the paraffine upon it, the stopper fits in the neck of the bottle,and will continue to work as a fluid-tight seal even when applied to bottles in'which the lip has been chipped so as to render them unfit for use with stoppers which seal by seating upon the end or lip of the neck. The fulcrum F, being elastic in a vertical directiomreadily adapts itself to slight variations in the distance between the shoulder A and lip or upper edge, A of the bottles,and the leverE, being stiffly braced by its three sides forming a triangle, (consisting of the arms E and E and brace Eh) when the handle E" is raised, draws the bail D and cap 0 and stopper down and closes the bottle, the springs F yielding sufficiently to permit the arms E to pass under the fulcrum-eyes E, and afterward reacting exert a continuous elastic pressure through the bail D on the stopper B.

The handle E is so proportioned as not to project above the cap 0, but to rest closely against the side of it, and is not liable to accidental injury or release and opening. The lever E,when the handle E* is depressed, first raises the bail D, cap C, and stopper B, which are prevented from tilting by the lugs or projections C embracing the bail D, and upon further downward motion of the handle E* the projection or arm D' of the bail D,engaging in the lever E, moves the stopper B toward the handle E and permits of the unobstructed emptying of the fluid from the bottle.

Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 respectively show the core B. the screw E the cap 0, the bail D, the lever E, and the fulcrum F. The remaining figures9, 11, and 12respectively show the lever E with pivots marked E instead ofthe fulcrumeyes shown in Fig. 8, the fulcrum F with eyes mar'ked F instead of the pivots marked F in Fig. 10, and'the bail D with projections or arm D on both sides instead of upon one side, as shown in Fig. 7.

Having described this invention and the mode of operating the same, what I claim is 1. A stopper adapted to fit in the neck of a bottle, consisting of an elastic core secured upon a central shank, which is provided at its upper end with an eye and has a flange resting upon the elastic core, both the flange and the core being covered by an envelope of textile fabric, secured by a ligature above the flange and saturated with paraffine, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of a stopper secured by an eye-screw to the cap O,with the cap 0, provided with lugs embracing the bail D, and a triangularly-braced lever, E, pivoted to a vertically-elastic fulcrum, F, substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the triangularlybraced lever E and vertically-elastic fulcrum F, the bail D, having arms D, engaging with the lever E, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

S. LLOYD WIEGAND.

Witnesses:

VAN WYcK BUDD, ALEX H. SIEGEL. 

